Some Different World
by falling to earth
Summary: Set in Wishverse. Buffy hardened by years of survival in this lethal world is captured, and there she meets Puppy, seemingly defeated by years of captivity...


Summary: If Buffy and Angel meet in the Wishverse, maybe it would go something like this…

Pairing: Buffy/Angel

Warning: T rated for dark themes

Disclaimer: Not mine, Joss Whedon's, Mutant Enemy's etc. No money offered or taken

A/N: Inspired by one of the requests that Stars made for a ficathon. This one wouldn't rest until it was written, so I poached it!

**Some Different World**

"Do you wanna come out to play, Puppy?"

A kick to the ribs and Puppy fled to the end of his chain, cowering in the corner of his cage. Large, frightened eyes peering up through stringy hair at the leather clad, red-haired vampire.

Amusement danced in her eyes as she regarded the mighty Angelus. She used to wonder if the Master invented the stories about him. This mute vamp was nothing but a beautiful shell. But occasionally, he would roar out his power and she'd catch a glimpse of what he once had been, which was the best fun of all… breaking him all over again. She felt a frisson of pleasure at the thought.

Lips curled into a cruel smile as he quivered in terror.

"Did I give you permission to look at me?" Her tone was light, but he lowered his eyes fearfully.

"Come to me," she commanded, tapping her thigh with a crop.

He was beyond hope, this world was all he could remember, darkness was all he knew and the flame that had burnt within had long since sputtered into blackness.

Reluctantly he came and crouched at her feet, awaiting whatever new game was about to be played, what new pain, what new humiliation.

"Good boy! And see what good boys get?"

She took a handful of his hair and forced his face upwards, trailing the decayed body of a desiccated rat over his lips.

"Do you want it Puppy?"

He knew the foul blood would make his body cramp in pain, but it had been so long since he'd eaten anything at all. He nodded and she grinned in triumph, she'd bet Xan that the Puppy would drink the most rancid, poisonous blood.

She handed it to him and nodded her approval.

Buffy's first sight of him was crouched at the feet of a female vampire, gnawing on a carcass of a putrid smelling rodent.

"Sheesh Wills! Where the hell did you get the rat? I've seen month old road kill that looked healthier." The newly arrived vampire eyed the puppy with contempt. "He is so frigging disgusting."

Buffy watched warily, feral eyes looking out from behind a curtain of dirty, blonde hair. Slaying vampires for the past two years had taken its toll. Everyday that she returned alive was a miracle. Still the vampires overran this town. Sometimes she felt like she was trying to empty the ocean with a thimble.

She'd lost so much since arriving in this town and now there were so few of them left. Giles, Oz, Larry, Nancy… no, Nancy was dead. She blinked, she was tired but she shouldn't forget stuff like that.

Killing the vermin was all that was left for her. It was her work, her duty, her pleasure and her only ambition. One day they'd get her, but they sure of hell would remember the name Buffy.

Her chain was yanked and she stumbled forward. Her face gave nothing away, but flint coloured eyes sparked with fury.

Puppy watched and could vaguely remember the days when he used to fight. A long time ago before he simply gave up, lay motionless on the floor and let himself be torn to shreds by all who would have him a piece of him.

They healed him and brought him back. Forced him to thank them for their benevolence and kiss their feet in gratitude. He felt a small stab of pity for this slayer. It would be sad to see the light fade from those eyes, the body wracked and her mind broken.

"Xanny! You've brought me a new toy! And so pretty!"

Her hand untangled itself from dark hair and suddenly she was standing next to Buffy.

"Careful, Wills. An unbroken slayer. The Master will decide what to do with her."

A long, slow lick along the slender warm neck, canines trailing lightly over the skin, tongue following a trickle of blood.

"Mmmm. Ice cream sundaes and fizzy cherry soda." She closed her eyes, the slayer's blood made her body sing.

Xander thrust himself between Willow and his new toy.

"She's mine! If the Master says we can keep her then she's mine."

Willow pouted.

"But that's not fair, I share my Puppy."

"I might let you play… but only if I'm there to watch," he grinned, an unmistakeable leer in his eyes.

She smiled back. Surely they would be allowed to keep her? Her body tingled at the thought.

"So will you go ask him, Will? You know you're his favourite…" His voice changed from aggressive to wheedling.

The cage door clanged shut on Buffy and the footsteps receded. She sighed and glanced at the vampire curled up in the other cage.

"You. Vampire. How do we get out of here?"

Out? Puppy almost smiled. Out was a myth that they sometimes used to torment him.

"Typical. I'm stuck in here with the world's only deaf vamp."

She paced around, testing the bars on her cage. She thought she heard something.

"What?"

"I'm not deaf." His voice was almost too quiet even for her enhanced senses.

"Ok, you're not deaf," she agreed. Damn but these bars were strong. "So how do we get out?"

"There is no out. This room is all there is."

"Sheesh! How long have you been here?"

"Always."

"Chocolate and fireguard springs to mind." A hint of the old humour in her voice.

"What?"

"Nothing. What's your name vampire?"

"Puppy."

She looked down at him.

"I meant your real name."

He had a real name? He fingered through the old pages of his memories, until he found a decayed, crumbling word, swathed in cobwebs, which he clawed away. Yes, that was it. He sounded it out carefully.

"Angelus. I was once Angelus, before I got my soul."

"Huh. You have a soul?" She looked at the dirty, thin vampire with curiosity.

Her restless pacing and her steely determined voice was something astonishing to him. She was caged and injured, yet she wasn't a victim.

"You're a vampire. Why are you acting all weird and weak? Look. Between us we might be able to shift one of these bars. I mean you have got vampire strength, right? And I'm the slayer. If we work together… unless you want to stay here?"

Did he want to stay here? It was all he knew. What would he do if got out? Skulk in corners, afraid of every shadow? Scenting blood that his soul wouldn't let him taste. A target for demons and humans alike. He had no place in the world.

But he would like to help her. She had spark and courage, except….

"I'd help… but I'm not strong anymore. I can't stand." He whispered the last in shame.

"Would you help me if you had your strength?"

He thought about it carefully and then nodded.

She regarded him with large serious eyes and then pushed her arm through the bars that divided them.

"Drink."

He merely stared.

"You want to help. I need you strong, so drink."

He was drawn toward the pulsing of blood through her veins. Freely offered and his for the taking.

"They don't let me change my face…"

She could have screamed in frustration.

"You have my permission, all right?"

He wasn't sure if it was or not. He looked around warily and slowly and furtively his features changed.

"Now bite and drink," Buffy commanded.

She grimaced as teeth pierced her flesh and knew there was a good chance this vampire would drain her dry. If he did, at least she'd be truly dead. He wouldn't be able to reach through the bars to turn her. She took her chance, given that the alternative was to be kept here until she was as broken and defeated as this pathetic excuse for a vampire.

She felt the first tug as blood left her body. It took her breath away, her breathing sped up. She was falling and spinning. A spirit twirling through skies of pure sunlight. Light as a feather and cocooned in warmth. She felt at one with all things that lived. All things that had ever lived…

She caught her breath at the vision of open-armed love before her.

"Mom?" she whispered.

As he drank his body unfurled like a plant to the first warmth of spring. Her blood was sustenance and fireworks. It burned through his veins, expanding his long dead heart, healing wherever it passed, making him strong, making him powerful. The few drops of blood gleaned from the dead rat were burnt from his body, rejected as the poison it had been. He had never felt so whole or strong in body or mind. Strong enough to unlatch his teeth and allow her wrist to fall from his mouth.

She was flaring like a spark from the fire, slowly whirling down to rejoin the flame that ignited her. Was this what it felt like to die? There was no fear, only acceptance and love. She opened her arms to it.

Than suddenly, her heaviness returned and she was crashing from that plane and lying on the hard floor in a dark place with tears standing in her eyes.

She recalled where she was and shook off her sadness and loss, as she had been doing for the last two years.

"Ok. We'll start with one of the dividing bars."

She looked towards the voice and had to blink. The wreck of a man was gone. In front of her stood someone tall and powerful, kind of beautiful… and naked. Funny, she'd never noticed that before.

She tried to avert her eyes whilst still listening to what he said.

"You'll have to help," he explained.

How had he managed to withstand the lure of taking and killing?

"Slayer?"

"Hey, I'm there."

She reached out and laid her small hands next to his. With dogged determination, they pulled and twisted together. Sweat was standing on her brow and she began to pant with effort.

"That's good. Keep going… it's moving," the vampire encouraged her.

She could feel it move herself and suddenly they were tumbling backward as it came free.

"You wanna come through?" he invited standing aside.

She nodded. It all felt a little surreal. Then her whole life could have been something thrown together by M C Escher, when you looked closely you realised nothing really made sense.

They began work on another bar that would give them a chance of freedom. This one was tough.

"Try another one maybe?" she suggested.

"It's not coming free, but it's bending."

They turned their combined strength to bending it further.

"I can hear something," Buffy whispered.

They both listened and realised it was the returning vampires.

"Go!"

They could both see that the gap was only wide enough for Buffy's slight form. She nodded her agreement and wriggled through the bars.

"What the f…" Xander got no further,

Buffy sprang from behind him, twisting his head with all his strength until she was choking on dust.

"Nine hundred and eight-six," she coughed.

Willow turned and let out a shriek of fury, springing on to the Slayer's back, legs wrapped around her waist and hands around her neck.

Buffy flung herself backwards, crashing the red-head against the cage. Suddenly the limpet on her back was gone. She spun around to find Angelus brushing the dust from his hands.

There eyes met and Buffy considered for a second, she could hear the sound of pounding feet, she needed to move. Instead she turned to the cage, grasped the warped bar and nodded at Angelus to do the same. Again they heaved, and the heavy steel creaked and surrendered to them.

"Come on!" she hissed.

He picked up the steel bar they had just released and stepped through to freedom.

Then the vampires were on them and vampire and slayer worked together as if they'd known each other for years. Angelus wielded the bar like a fighting stave, knocking vampires flying in all directions and Buffy systematically and efficiently cleaned up, killing them as they reeled from the blows, counting as she went.

"Nine hundred and eighty-seven. Nine hundred and eighty-eight."

She fought against a large vampire and appeared to be struggling. Angelus raised his arm meaning to crush his neck and decapitate him.

"No!"

He stopped short.

"What?"

She punched the large vampire and he fell to the floor.

"Clothes for you."

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been allowed to wear clothes. He looked at the little blonde girl. She gave him freedom and now she gave him dignity.

"Thank you."

The clothes were quickly tugged on.

"We're not out of here yet," she replied and twirled a stake restlessly.

He picked up his steel weapon and they set off through the tunnels, fighting for every metre. Gouged and bleeding but still standing and still fighting, they fought with the grace and the timing of dancers. Perfectly co-ordinated, they moved as one and were invincible. The scent of clean, fresh air gave them renewed vigour and they made their way inexorably towards it.

Finally, there were no more vampires to fight. They ran towards a door, freedom was just the other side….

Angelus felt a brush of fear as he stood outside for the first time in… he couldn't remember when. He breathed in the night scents and heard again the haunting sound of owls, the shriek of a fox, night creatures crawling over the earth.

This was the zenith of his life. Joy that could never be matched flooded through him. This was freedom? It tasted better than blood. Stepping from that hole in the ground was rebirth. He felt innocent again and that spark flared within him once more.

He turned to the woman-child who had played midwife, guided him from that dark womb, through the blood and pain, and brought him to life. They caught each other's gaze and as Angelus stared at her, he felt as though anything were possible.

He moved towards her, his heart full of her, his blood singing in her presence.

"You are so special…" he whispered.

Odd for a second there she almost glimpsed something between them. A gentle breath of what might have been had caressed her like memory. She shrugged. Maybe in some different world….

"So are you," she replied and smiled as he moved closer.

A small hand movement.

"One thousand," she whispered tenderly, and his dust drifted gently around her.


End file.
